The twilight language explores hidden meanings and synchromystic connections via onomatology (study of names) and toponymy (study of place names). This blog further investigates "name games" and "number coincidences" found in news and history. Examinations are also found in my book The Copycat Effect (NY: Simon and Schuster, 2004).

Since the summer of 1975 when a certain now-successful Hollywood director's Jaws terrified the teens off the beaches, shark attack scares have existed in the human psyche, thanks to Steven Spielberg.

Now Spielberg visits upon us his latest chronicle of cinema terror in his continuing series of screaming children flicks. I went to War of the Worlds with my older sons last night. It is a movie, both frightening and engaging. As a science-fiction motion picture, it will be critiqued as significant and important. But there's a twilight language text to this film. Spielberg has added a new chapter to his allegedly covert pedophile tendencies, in which his motion pictures (e.g. Jurassic Park, Hook, Artificial Intelligence: AI, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Poltergeist, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Twilight Zone: The Movie) appear to delight in scaring and emotionally abusing children.

This is not a novel idea. Adam Parfrey wrote a 1996 essay on Spielberg's seemingly sinister trend in his movie themes, which was reprinted in the Steamshovel Pressentitled "Pederastic Park?." If you get a chance, read Parfrey's essay.

If you have young children, you might wish to think twice about them going to see the new Spielberg version of War of the Worlds. I frankly don't understand why some subplots are in there, such as the one involving the Tim Robbins character, who is one behavior away from overtly being a child molester.

6 comments:

I think one has to be very careful when smearing other people as pedophiles, even public figures. I don't think Speilberg's movies are pedophile horror films. If you want to see what you're describing, merely rent the "Jeepers Creepers" series. Those are overt, and the director has even done jail time for some incident involving a minor on the set of one of his films.

Please note the use of the phrase "allegedly covert pedophile tendencies," and read this blog as a warning to young children to not watch this film. This is not a smear, although I understand some will decide to read it that way and ignore what is covertly in these films.

Seems to me the film is about what it's like to be in a country that's being attacked for no good reason by a terrifying super power. It sounds like a good film for kids in America to look at right now. It's about an insurgency against a seemingly unbeatable oppressor. What kind of a person would smear a film like that with weird half-allegations of pedophilia? Allegations that are immediately backed away from when questioned? Either say something or don't--if you try to say something and not say something, you're being snide and yes, you are smearing people and their work. The only question left to answer is WHY is this on your agenda?

The comments which were not heard were the comments which would explain why you are asserting that there are pedophile rumors about Speilberg. You make a vague comment about something that's a very serious subject, fail to back up your outlandish claim, then tell people they should keep their children from seeing ONLY THIS ONE out of all of Speilberg's movies, then you say you're not smearing Speilberg or his film.

Now you can get a job as a human pretzel in a sideshow, you've tied yourself in knots.

I still wonder what would possess you to write something like this? What exactly is the agenda here? Why this movie? Did you just make up the pedophile accusations? How many sources does that "rumor" come from? What is it based on? And how is Tim Robbins' character in any way like a child molestor?

War of the Worlds is one of the most important books ever written, as such many of the changes from the original book must be viewed very critically including the choice to add the child character. Whereas the Jurassic Park books already had child characters in them. The section of the book that Tim Robbins character is involved in is in the book originally a critisism by Wells of his mothers Calvinist Religious Beliefs, an anology of the struggle between reason and faith in a cabin-fever environment and an investigation into the ethics of murder in self defence. In Speilbergs version he has joined the character of the Curate with the Artilleryman (written by Wells to espouse some of his socialist ideals whilst also critisising the flaws of dreams without action). Adding the child into this scene and some of the disturbing additions to the dialogue brings up some very nasty issues. Whether Speilbergs trend of small screaming children has something to do with the broken home issues he continually brings up in his films or is a sign of something more sinister I do not know. I do know however that he has removed almost all of the vitally important subtext of the original work, from Wells social commentary to his themes of imperialism and complacency, and replaced them with his own.

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About Me

Investigator of human and animal mysteries since 1960. Swamp Thing character "Coleman Wadsworth" in #4:7 and more in #4:8, is a tribute.
Author of over 35 books, including The Unidentified (1975), Mysterious America (1983/2007), Suicide Clusters (1987), Cryptozoology A to Z (1999), Bigfoot! (2003), The Copycat Effect (2004), and field guides.
Educated in anthropology-zoology at SIU-Carbondale, and psychiatric social work at Simmons College School of Social Work. Began doctoral work in anthropology (Brandeis University) and family violence (UNH). Taught at NE universities (1980 to 2003), while concurrently a senior researcher at the Muskie School (1983 to 1996), before retiring to write, lecture, consult, & open museum. Popular documentary course was taught for 23 semesters; appeared on C2C, The Larry King Show, MonsterQuest, Lost Tapes, In Search Of, and other tv programs.
Loren Coleman is a dedicated father (Caleb, Malcolm, Des), cryptozoologist, media consultant, and baseball fan.